How to call

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Tips and Tricks and Scripts, Oh my!

​Remember you are the employer! This is like a performance review of your elected official and their contract has a hard end or renewal date. You are in power and in control here, not the other way around.

​You can also text your zip code to 520.200.2223 and the capital office phone numbers of all your federal representatives will be texted back to you.

Put these numbers in your phone! This way you only have to look them up once. You can save all of their office phone numbers in their contact to make it even easier.​

​Warm Ups!A great warm-up call is a positive call. Call someone you want to thank. Call Sen. Casey or Gov. Tom Wolf or Sen Warren’s office and say thank you. They will appreciate it, we promise. Do a few of these calls until you feel comfortable. Use them as a chance to ask about the policies of people you are happy with, learn their reasoning, and then use that information to call an opposing figure.

Know Why You Are Calling

You are calling to get in their way. You aren’t going to change Toomey’s mind on some things, but you can take up his office’s resources by making them deal with you. Every minute they are on the phone with you is a minute they can’t be working toward a Muslim registry or something else horrific.

We highly recommend The Indivisible Guide. It talks about this tactic in detail. We are borrowing from the Tea Party on this one.

To that end. Make this a daily practice for you! FOR YOU.

They are working every day, so we have to as well, but this is a good thing. Keep yourself in shape by doing it every day. You will become a pro at talking issues on the phone and in person, and it will keep you informed.

You might sway a staffer.

Ask to talk to the staffer that specifically deals with the issue you are calling about. Be willing to talk to whoever, but try to get your specialized person.

Always get the name of who you speak to. You’ll start to know the individual staffers.

Know What You Want to Say

Short and Sweet:

Prepare your opinion and 3 supporting facts or anecdotes.

Know your audience. For example, is budget their thing? Then go after the economics of the issue.

In depth: 3 Points and 5 Questions

You can call and leave your position with someone (which is great!), but if you want to drive a conversation, you have to ask them questions.

Do 10 minutes of research

For each new topic look up:

How the person you are calling has voted in the past

Their next opportunity to vote/act on it

What will appeal to them? Know your audience. Is budget their thing? Go after the economics of it

If you can, have that info in front of you when you call

Start off polite. Only escalate if they do. They should never hang up on you or be overly rude, but if they do, take note, and post the story of yourencounter everywhere you can (your facebook, their facebook, twitter, email, etc.) and try to tag them. They hate embarrassment

Sample Script:Hello, my name is ______________. How are you today? (this will encourage them to introduce themselves)I’m a constituent of _________________ from ____your zip code or city_____________, and I was calling today to hear the Senator/Representative’s stance on the issue of _______________________? Could you tell me what that is?--They should Answer by telling you the stance or saying they don't know. If they say they don't know, pull up the research you have to tell them the stance as reported and ask for their statement on it--- I’d like the Senator/Representative to consider my position on the matter. I believe__________about their opinion________________ because:

Fact/Anecdote #1

Fact/Anecdote #2

Fact/Anecdote #3

Can you tell me why the Senator/Representative has their current stance in spite of that information?Thank you, I’ll be calling again tomorrow.